I’ll be joining the lovely and talented Bill Davie an evening of wild-crafted-crafted, hand-formed, organic, locally-sourced songs! Drop on by and grab a fistful of sound and mixed metaphors! Warning: this performance may contain banjos.

Saturday Sept 20 @ The Couth Buzzard

8310 Greenwood Avenue North

7:30 – 9:30 (2 sets each!)

always free, always fun

Only fall gig

My only fall gig is this Saturday, Oct. 5th, as part of a Songwriters in Seattle showcase at the Couth Buzzard.

This festival of song starts at 7:30. I’ll be joined by Susan Elliott, Chris Mitchell and Roo & The Few at the venue one local musician calls “the best place to play in the western hemisphere.

Please join us, enjoy the great food & drink at the Couth, and support Seattle’s thriving songwriting scene. 8310 Greenwood Ave. N. All ages and free!

A Heart Needs a Home

Thursday, Dec 19 at The Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave. S

Save the date for a special night of Seattle musical All-Stars performing the songs of Richard Thompson to benefit Solid Ground’s efforts to house homeless families.

Wayne Horvitz will serve as music director. Among the musicians we can tell you are joining the bill are Robin Holcomb, Darren Lucas, Eli West, Rob Kneisler, Joel Tepp and Carrie Clark. I wish I could disclose all the players, but you’ll have to wait for the really big news about this bill.

For the past two years, I’ve been the Third Alternate to the finalists of the Tumbleweed Songwriting Competition. Kind of like being 13 out of 10 (well, ok, 13 out of the 50-60 submissions each year), but who’s counting?

This year the topic of the competition is “bridges” and I’ve just sealed the envelope on my submission, Bridge Don’t Rise. It’s a song I wrote for my dad, but I think it will resonate for anyone who has ever lost someone. Take a listen:

God willing and the bridge don’t rise
I’ll see you over on the other side
We’ll share some laughter, share some tears
Back with you after all these years
So much to tell you, so much to say
But we’ll have eternity, if we have a day
And the bridge don’t rise

And I can’t wait to see you again I can’t wait to see you again, if the bridge don’t rise

God willing and the bridge don’t riseI’ll drink you in with my own eyesWe’ll laugh about the earthly waysAnd all the problems in that placeWe’ll share some memories, we’ll have a cryAnd I know you won’t be leaving me twiceIf the bridge don’t rise

And I can’t wait to see you again
Yeah, I can’t wait to see you again, if the bridge don’t rise

I was young when you died
Never saw you eye to eye
We’ll be together on the other side
God willing and the bridge don’t rise

God willing
And the bridge don’t rise
God willing
And the bridge don’t rise
And I can’t wait to see you again
I can’t wait to see you again

I’m thrilled to announce that on Friday, April 19th I’ll be hosting a Songwriters in the Round evening at the Couth Buzzard that features some amazingly talented performers!

Ginny Reilly is the “Reilly” half of famed folk duo Reilly and Maloney. With her partner, David Maloney, she has performed on the national circuit of folk music clubs from 1970 to 1990. They own a record company, Freckle Records, and recorded several albums on that label. While perhaps better known for her work with David, Ginny is skillful writer and solo performer who captivates audiences with her warmth and timeless songs. It’s really an honor to share the stage with her!

Jennifer Spector

Jennifer Spector and David Tieman are also well-known as a touring duo, The Hayburners. But, as with Ginny, the also write material better suited to solo performance. For this evening, they will be primarily playing solo, but I think we can convince them to join up for a couple well-loved Hayburners’ tunes.

I’ll have a new instrument (baritone uke!) and a few new songs, including my submission for the 2013 Tumbleweed songwriting competition.

David Tieman

The Couth is a wonderful listening room. No amplification, just the plain beauty of voices and acoustic instruments. We promise to take you on a journey through stories, emotions and song. Hope you can join us!

I just got invited to join the bill for 2013’s inaugural gig at Tacos Guaymas Y Mas, Lynnwood (on 196th, 1 block W of I-5 across from the Lynnwood Convention Center.)

The show is Saturday, January 12, 2013, from 6-9pm. There is no cover and the restaurant is suitable for all ages!

For more than three years, Ray Boyce has made this unheralded venue a top place to see a rotating roster of local songsmiths and players.

I’ll be sharing the bill with two talented songwriters, Charlie Spring and Casey Garland. Both write sweet and moving tales of people, love and the land reminiscent of greats like Neil Young and James Taylor.

Charlie is up first at 6:00. Casey plays at 6:55. I play from 7:50-8:40.

Come join us for great acoustic music and awesome, authentic Mexican food!

I’ll be joined on a few songs by my good friend Kelly Murphy, and hope to roll out some new tunes, including this one, called Bridge Don’t Rise, which I wrote for my father who died when I was young. I hope to see you in Lynnwood!

Community meeting space par excellence, Couth Buzzard Bookstore, is celebrating its 3rd Anniversary on Sat. Dec 22. Poets, musicians and other performers from unknown to world famous are performing throughout the day. I’ve got a slot at 2:30 and will play a few of my songs on banjo/vocals. Hope to see you there!

Congrats to Theo and the crew, and thanks for making such a warm and welcoming space for our community!

I’ve got a very special gig coming up Friday, Sept. 28th that I wanted to tell you about.

One of the things I love about volunteering to MC and run sound at Victory Music open mics is the opportunity to support burgeoning new talent. This gig is is like that awesome opportunity on steroids!

Opening for us, in her Seattle debut, will by Ahmad’s 15-year old daughter, Kreea Baabahar, who, mark my words, is going to be a special music maker before she is done.

It’s not just that Kreea’s bloodlines are strong, that her dad is a performing songwriter and instructor, her mom a sound healer, her grandfather a jazz and doo-wop hero. It’s that Kreea has a deep passion about her music and a striving commitment to her craft. She writes lovely songs that have a depth well beyond most teens. She has a soulful and powerful voice. And she is just starting to develop her performance chops. So her potential is ALL THERE, like a beautiful flower still wrapped in its bud, poised to pop open.

Kreea

So come hear Kreea. Someday you’ll be able to say: “I saw her when…” And stick around for the old goats who follow. Ahmad, J.W. and I are an eclectic bunch–we all write pretty cool songs. And after listening to Kreea, we are all gonna have the biggest grins on our faces, I know it will make us sing our best!

The Couth is all ages, all acoustic, and all for free. We will, or course, pass the hat. I’ll be giving my share to Kreea… along with a request for beign on the guest list sometime when she hits it big.